Tripping on reincarnation
by Knowledge is a powerful tool
Summary: "Being reborn is definitely not on my list of priorities." The blonde/redhead groused. Too bad for him that the adventures of a half demon did include said not-priority.
1. Chapter 1

**Yet another (hopefully) unique and (probably) confusing story coming right up! ...Yes, I was bored. Again. Hope you all like this idea though!**

DISCLAIMER FOR THE WHOLE STORY: I don't own Naruto, moron! (Was that mean? ;P)

A nearly newborn baby opened his cerulean blue eyes in astonishment, as he saw a blonde man with a sad smile look down upon him.

"I'm sorry, Naruto." The man said, and then fell. The baby blinked. 'What are you talking about? What are you sorry for? And my name is Youko!' He thought, ignoring the fact that he was rapidly falling together with the man towards the ground.

The baby, Naruto or Youko, winced when he felt a searing pain on his stomach. He looked down, and his eyes widened as they saw a black spiral pattern with strange symbols around. 'A seal! And it's very advanced too…just what happened? And why the hell am I a baby?' He thought, and then his eyes slowly shut down to slumber, just as an old man with armor and the kanji for fire on his back arrived.

XXX

Water dripping awoke Youko. He opened his eyes and blinked a few times, accustoming himself to the light, and then looked around. "Hoh? Is this my mindscape?" He asked, satisfied that he at least could speak here, before crawling towards a red pulsing light.

"…Uncle?" He asked, surprised at seeing a large red fox with nine tails pace back and forth in a cage. "Huh? Youko? Is that you?" It blinked. "Hell yeah it is! Now mind telling me just why I'm a baby, and you happen to be sealed…probably inside me?" Youko snarled, though it didn't seem very intimidating.

"…" The large fox seemed to shrink into a human form. He had shoulder-length red hair, red eyes with black around, and an elaborate black and red kimono. "First things first. You and your friends have been missing for a lot of time! About 80 years or so, I'd say. The baby thing? I have no idea. You seem kinda…reborn. And was it just me or was it Minato out there?" He sounded curious.

"Yeah, it was. That's REALLY weird…he's just a human. Oh well, I have other stuff to think about. For example where Hou-chan, Shu-kun and Koneko are!" Youko sighed. The fox-turned-human shrugged. "Well, you can't do lots like you are now. You'll have to wait, brat." He said offhandedly.

"…I do hate you, you know that?"

"Ah, that's very nice."

"Hmph. Just you wait…by the way, as soon as I'm allowed to actually run around, I'll be trying to bust you out…about that, why were you sealed in me?" Youko blinked.

"I attacked Konoha. You know, the little farming village. It's a ninja village now. At least they thought I was attacking. I was looking for lil sis." The Kyuubi explained. Youko nodded thoughtfully. "I haven't seen her…but then again I woke up with dad saying he was sorry, and then I went asleep again…being a baby is a pain in the ass."

Kyuubi chuckled. "Too bad, you'll be one for quite some time. I'll be going around in your mindscape meanwhile, do you mind? No? Good."

"Hey, I didn't say yes, you moronic uncle…oh forget it."

XXX

About six years later, a certain red/blonde was darting past trash cans and other rubbish lying in his way as he ran away from a couple of, as he called them; moronic numbskulls. With his much smaller stature he was easily able to evade traps he had put out, while the much bigger, and clumsier civilians went into each one.

Growing tired of the chase, Youko jumped onto a trashcan, grabbed hold of a light pole and swung onto a roof and then down on the other side, landing in a big puddle, splashing himself and another person.

"Ah, sorry." Youko said, not sounding sincere the least. "…I know only one person like that…so carefree…and not at all caring when he ruined my clothes…YOUKO, YOU IDIOT!" A female voice raged. Youko blinked, and turned to see a girl his age, with dark blue hair and faint lavender eyes with no pupils.

"Ah, Hou-chan! I've been looking for you!" Youko grinned nervously. The girl narrowed her eyes. "I might guess why. But call me Hinata, that's my supposed name." She sighed. Youko nodded. "Will do. I'm Naruto. Strange, I know. You know anything about this rebirth thing? Uncle has no idea…yet. Stupid fox, he didn't know anything six years ago either." He scowled.

"…Is Kyuubi around?" Hou-chan blinked. "Err, he's inside of me. In a seal. That's why all adults in this place glare when I just walk past them." Youko scratched his head. "Oh. Well if we're…rebirth-ed, as you put it, then maybe Shukaku and Koneko are too?" Hou-chan asked.

Youko shrugged. "Probably. But Shu-kun originated in the desert, didn't he? Maybe that's where he is. And Koneko used to like Lightning country. Say, I preferred Fire country, but where did you come from?" He blinked, curious. Hou-chan sighed.

"Water, Youko. Water. I am Houkou, daughter of Gobi, who just happens to reside in Water country, moron." She pointed out. Youko shrugged. "Oh. Well, you look like one of the stuck ups, so I bet they'll be coming for you soon. I'll see ya sometime else, right?" He grinned.

"They're called Hyuuga. And yes, we'll see each other soon, if you come to this park each day, and no skipping! Now move, moron." Houkou sighed.

"Quit calling me moron! That's my favorite word!"

XXX

"You wanted to see me, Old man?" Youko asked, stepping into the Hokage's office. In the chair sat an old man with white and red robes, not to forget a strange hat. "Ah, Naruto! Yes, you see I have found something from your parents. Here you go." He said, and gave something to the boy with blonde and red hair.

Youko's eyes widened. "This…belonged to my parents?" He asked, seeing a necklace with four bars in front. He already knew what it was, having been the one to make it a long time ago. 'It must've been found and passed down.' He thought, reaching out to take the necklace. As soon as he touched it, it flashed crimson before going silver again. The Hokage narrowed his eyes.

"…Thank you, Old man. It means a lot to me, you know?" Youko grinned, fastening it around his neck. The Hokage smiled warmly. "I know. Now, we also have one other thing to discuss. How would you like starting the ninja academy in a week?" He asked.

Youko's eyes glimmered, and her grinned even more. "I'd love it! Will you really enroll me? Please do…and could you put my name as Youko?" He asked. The Hokage sighed with an amused smile. "No, I'm afraid that it will have to be Naruto. That is who you are, even though I know you prefer Youko." He explained.

"Fine. Well, I have to go now. I promised Hou-chan that I would be at the park every day." Youko pouted. The Hokage chuckled. "So you finally found a friend? That's good. Off you go."

XXX

"Y-Naruto! You're late!" Houkou growled. Youko waved his hands. "I was with the Hokage! I can't really run from the leader of this place, can I? It would be rude."

"…You ARE rude. Anyway, isn't that your necklace? I thought you lost it?" The dark-haired girl asked. Youko nodded. "I didn't lose it per say. Just didn't find it. But apparently it's been passed down in my family, and I got it from the Hokage." He explained. Houkou nodded.

"Tell me why I should stay here a whole day again?" Youko questioned dryly. Houkou glared at him. "Because I said so. While you might think isolation is fun, I certainly don't. I'm looking for friends." She explained calmly. Youko huffed. "I don't think isolation is fun. Besides, I have you. And Shu-kun and Koneko."

"Shush now." Houkou admonished him. The boy pouted. They sat down on two swings, swinging gently back and forth, looking for children. There were mostly civilian kids, who were ushered away by their parents when they saw Youko.

Finally, after some time, ninja children began coming. Most of them ignored the two children on the swings, until a boy with red marks on his cheeks approached them. "Hi! You wanna play ninja with me?" He asked, grinning. Youko blinked as he saw sharp canines.

"Sure. How do we do it?" Houkou smiled. Youko sighed. "It's easy, really! There are two teams, bad ninja and good ninja. The good ninja hunt the bad ninja, but the bad ninja can fight back. Though we're not allowed to really fight, just slight brawling, my mom said." The brown-haired boy explained.

Youko looked up. "That your mom?" He asked, pointing at a woman with wild brown hair and the same red marks on her cheeks. The boy nodded. "Yeah! I'm Kiba Inuzuka, by the way." He introduced himself with a grin. A small puppy trailing after him barked, and he started. "Oh, this is Akamaru! My nin-dog!" He grinned.

"A nin-dog? That's cool. Wish I could get one, but dogs don't like me a lot, cuz I smell like fox." Youko wrinkled his nose. Kiba blinked and sniffed in the air. "Yeah, you do smell like fox. Weird. She smells like dog though." He pointed at Houkou, who nodded.

"I'm…Hinata. That idiot is Naruto." She pointed at Youko who twitched. "Though I prefer being called by my name. It's Youko. Even though YOU may not care about your name, I think Naruto sounds downright stupid." The blue-eyed boy huffed.

Kiba shrugged. "Me and Akamaru can be one team, and you can be the other!" He said. Houkou lifted an eyebrow. "Wouldn't that be unfair?" She asked. Kiba shook his head. "Nah, I've got ninja training!" He boasted. "I've got ninja training too. I'm from one of the largest clans in Konoha, after all." Houkou smiled smugly.

"Hmph, clans. I'm an orphan, and I pretty much like it that way. Well, not entirely an orphan, cuz I've got an uncle, but he's kinda…gone, at the moment." Youko blinked. Kiba blinked too. "Huh." He said.

"Hey, can we play with you guys? We overheard you talking about playing ninja, and it is more fun if we are more people, right?" A blonde girl pulling a pink-haired girl asked. Kiba nodded. "Yeah! That'd be awesome! Then Hinata can be on my team, while you two go on Youko's team." He said.

Youko shrugged and grinned charmingly. "We'll beat dog boy fast, right?" He said. The blonde nodded resolutely, while the pink-haired girl smiled nervously. "I'm Ino, and this is Sakura. You guys are Youko, Hinata and Kiba, was that right?" Ino said. The others all nodded.

"Let's start already! We'll be the good team, so you have to be the bad team!" Kiba said. Youko grinned. "That's great! No one has more experience in running away than me! …I'll watch out for you guys too though." He added, looking at the two girls at his team.

"Hmph. Girls. We're girls. You can't call us guys." Ino huffed. Youko rolled his eyes. "Fine, _girls_. Either way, I'll watch over my teammates. You better do the same." He pointed out, and then began running as Kiba began counting. Ino and Sakura followed, though neither were as fast as Youko.

XXX

The children had spent most of the afternoon playing, and were now lying in the soft grass, simply relaxing. They were just waiting for their parents to come get them, really.

The first to come was a red-haired woman. She was clearly a ninja, even though she was clothed like a civilian. Her eyes were unreadable as she looked at Youko, and then smiled as she looked on Sakura. "Come now, Sakura. It's time for dinner." She said calmly.

Sakura nodded and stood up, then timidly waved to her new friends. "Bye. See you some other day." She smiled. They all waved too, and Youko gave her thumbs up. "We'll be here, whenever you need us!"

Sakura's mother smiled slightly, and they left. After that came Ino's father and picked her up, looking with a smile at all her new friends, as well as surprise seeing the Hyuuga and Inuzuka heirs, along with the pariah of the village.

Then came Kiba's mother, grinning. She dragged him away by his collar, while he waved to his new friends, and they waved back. Lastly was a Hyuuga branch member, for Hinata.

The Hyuuga glared distastefully at Youko, who simply stared back. "Hou-chan, your family is a bunch of stuck-ups." He stated. Houkou sighed. "I know, alright? That's Getsu." She said. The Hyuuga, Getsu simply narrowed his eyes. "Come, Hinata-sama. You should not be around ruffians like this – this fool." He said.

"Are you insinuating that my choice of friends are wrong? I am ashamed to have thought you to be a caring individual, Getsu." Houkou smoothly narrowed her eyes. Getsu shook his head intently. "No, no. But…that _boy_ is no good." He tried to explain.

"No good? Wow, I wonder how many have told me that. I think it was about a hundred at last count." Youko said dryly. "Besides, I ain't doing anything else than running away from people wishing to harm me because of a certain idiot stuck in my gut." He added.

Getsu looked wide-eyed at the boy, he should not have known, and he didn't seem to bother about saying it with the girl there. Houkou shrugged. "Well, you get training, don't you? And he's not that bad." She disagreed. Youko huffed. "You're not stuck with him for the rest of your life. Only six years so far, and he's already driven me nuts. I swear, he ain't got no sense for music either."

Getsu was simply looking back and forth the two, looking as confused as he could possibly get.

XXX

About a week later, Youko was seen dashing from hiding place to hiding place in the schoolyard. He was carefully avoiding any teachers, and looking for his friends.

"Hey, Youko!" A boisterous voice yelled, and Youko quickly sidestepped a lunge from Kiba. "Kiba! About time you found me!" He chuckled. Kiba huffed. "You're just saying that because you couldn't find me!" He exclaimed.

"Somewhat. But it's kind of hard looking for you while avoiding others." Youko replied dryly. Kiba raised an eyebrow. "Who're you avoiding?" He asked. Youko shrugged. "The teachers. Most grown-ups don't like me very much. That's an understatement." He deadpanned.

"Why?" Kiba wondered. Youko shrugged again. "Eh, I'm not allowed to tell you…but I'll do it anyway. Just don't run away screaming, mh? You see, many people think I'm the Kyuubi, because he was sealed into my gut when I was a baby." He explained calmly.

"…What? That's kinda stupid." Kiba said, twitching. Youko nodded. "Indeed. And seeing as I think you're my friend, and you didn't run away yet…the Kyuubi is also my uncle, as my mother was a demon. I'm a half demon, and the son of Yondaime Hokage. Nice to meet you." He added.

"…Are you joking with me?" Kiba said seriously. Youko shook his head. "Not at all, really." He said casually. Kiba adopted a deadpanned expression. "I think I'm going to talk to Hinata. Don't worry, I'm not running away from you." He said with a strange mix between a deadpan and confusion.

Youko chuckled. "Do that."

XXX

"Yeah, that idiot is a half demon. I am one too though. But I don't have a single idea who my father, my real father, is. My name is Houkou by the way." Houkou rolled her eyes. Kiba twitched. "I got myself some weird friends, didn't I? Oh well. It's soon gonna call in! You coming?" He asked.

Houkou blinked, and nodded. "Sure. Let's go."

XXX

"Everybody find a seat!" Their teacher, a young man with a ponytail and a scar over his nose yelled. He looked quite strict, but nice, until he laid his eyes on Youko.

Youko sighed. "Look, you clearly hate me, like everyone else, but PLEASE don't mess with my grades!" He said lowly. The teacher pressed his lips together but nodded. "I will not. I am here to be a teacher, not to be unfair to people." He said.

Youko blinked. "That…is a really good philosophy. I think I kind of like you." He grinned before dashing up to sit beside Kiba and Houkou. The teacher looked somewhat surprised, and shrugged.

"Today we'll mostly introduce ourselves to each others, and go trough what you'll be learning. Now you have one hour to get to know each others!"

XXX

"Wake up, lazy-ass!" Youko yelled at a boy with pineapple-like hair. The boy started awake. "Wha-! Geez, you don't have to yell. Troublesome." He sighed. Youko rolled his eyes. "Get over it. Who are you?" He asked. The boy yawned. "Shikamaru. Shikamaru Nara. You?"

"Youko. Though you'll probably call me Naruto like every other moron." Youko dismissed him. Shikamaru blinked interested. "Which one is your real name?" He wondered.

"Both." Youko smirked. Shikamaru frowned. "Hm…" He murmured and went into a thinking pose. Youko chuckled silently and passed by some more desks to get to the teacher. "Yo, again. I'm Youko." He waved cheerfully, and the teacher blinked.

"…Iruka…What is that around your neck?" He asked. Youko shrugged. "Family heirloom…it's a necklace. I'm sure you've seen it before. Anyway, nice to see your opinion of me being a monster is slowly fading! Bye!" He grinned and ran back to his friends. Iruka blinked. 'I have seen that necklace before…but that's impossible! I have to talk to the Hokage…' He thought.

Youko went over to a dark-haired boy. "Hi. I'm Youko. Who're you?" The boy seemed surprised. "I'm Sasuke Uchiha." He said with a smile. Youko nodded. "Cool. Though I don't really like your eyes." He said bluntly. Sasuke frowned.

"Why not? Sharinghan is awesome!" He exclaimed. Youko shrugged. "That might be, but it's dangerous, you know? It corrupts. Don't interrupt, I know a lot about those eyes of yours." He warned. Sasuke looked confused.

"Well, the hour's up! Talk to ya some other time!"

XXX

After school, Youko and Houkou were heading towards the Hyuuga clan compound.

"See ya tomorrow…and the day after that…and after that…" Youko teased before pushing the dark-haired girl at the guards. "Youko! Don't push me you moron!" She yelled angrily, waving a fist threateningly. The guards were surprised at the outspoken behavior of the normally placid girl, but didn't say anything.

"Yeah, yeah. You know you love me, even though I'm rude." Youko laughed and disappeared into the alley. Houkou sighed. "Idiot." She muttered under her breath and went in.

XXX

**Strange friendships...and if you think Kiba's taking it too well, do remember that this is my story, things WILL be changed, and Kiba is utterly confused even though he doesn't show it. **

**Please review, and do tell if you have an idea for a story NAME! ^.^**


	2. Chapter 2

**So, I updated this one this time. I was out of inspiration for the other ones, so then... Hope you like. ^.^**

"Holy hell! You nearly fried me, ya red-eyed freak!" Youko yelled, waving a fist comically towards Sasuke, who simply smirked triumphantly. "Well, maybe you should've watched your surroundings more, then." He retorted.

Youko huffed, and scratched his cheek idly with a black claw. "Whatever. How's it going with the sharinghan?" He asked his fellow 9-year old. Sasuke shrugged. "Better. I've got two in both now. By the way, where is Houkou? I would've thought she'd want to come train too." He raised one dark eyebrow.

The blue-eyed half-demon scrunched up his nose. "Scheduled match with her little sister. That's one bratty brat! Anyway, I heard you'd moved back into the Uchiha compound?" He wondered. Sasuke nodded. "Yeah, I did. It's not like there are ghosts there, and my 'irrational fear of freaky older brothers' is more or less gone." He snorted.

Youko grinned. "That's good! Wonder where Itachi is now? Poor guy, he's probably running from the hunters." He snickered. Sasuke smirked. "Maybe. Well, I got to go, mom's making yakitori for dinner." He said, amused at his strange friend's jealous expression.

"Fine, fine. I'll see ya tomorrow?" The red-blonde asked. Sasuke nodded. "Sure. Bye!" He waved before setting out in a run.

Youko tilted his head thoughtfully, before he smirked and disappeared.

XXX

Houkou skillfully dodged her little sister's fierce attempts at hitting her, a blasé look on her face. Hanabi was getting frustrated, but tried to keep up. Around stood several elders, some branch members and Hiashi.

"Enough already, Hanabi. You're too stiff." The dark-haired girl sighed. Hanabi snarled and continued. Hiashi watched them both carefully, his gaze disapprovingly following Hanabi. Houkou narrowed her eyes at that.

"Wow, how utterly boring. You're way too skilled, Hou-chan."

Everyone turned in surprise to see Youko leaning against the wall, a smirk on his face. His now more red-than-blonde hair fluttering slightly, revealing that he had just arrived.

Houkou smacked Hanabi on top of her head, and went over to Youko. The Hyuuga members were too shocked to say anything. A twitch formed in the girl's eye, before she slapped the boy, who still smirked.

"Mou, Hou-chan, that's mean. Say, what's up with you fighting against each other anyway?" He questioned, red hand mark on his face fading rapidly. Houkou shrugged. "Stupid thing. It's a Hyuuga thing, you wouldn't get it." She snorted.

"What is that abomination doing inside the Hyuuga house? How?" One of the elders screeched. Youko shook his head annoyed, and Houkou glared at the old man.

"Some of us have sensitive ears, old man. And really, abomination? That's real nice. And for how, I just…moved. It's a demon fox thing, you wouldn't understand." The whiskered boy shrugged. The elder looked more or less livid.

Houkou palmed her face. "Naruto, you saying you can do demon fox things doesn't exactly help against them thinking you are the fur ball, does it?" She pointed out. Hiashi studied the boy and was surprised at the emotion of his eldest daughter.

Youko scrunched up his nose in irritation. "How many times do I have to tell you to call me Youko? Damn, I hate that stupid name. Oh, but I can do kitsune things. What use would it have to say I can't, and then do it? Besides, Kyuubi can't do it as well as me. He's too big." He snickered.

"Boy. Why are you here?" Hiashi demanded calmly. Youko raised one eyebrow. "I'm bored. Hou-chan's bored, though she doesn't admit it. I figured we could do something together! …Say, do ya want to come with me to the forest? The lighting is amazing now." He turned towards Houkou, who smiled.

"Sure. May I, father? Do know that I will do so whether it be with your permission or not." She said. Hiashi narrowed his eyes thoughtfully, but nodded. "I see… yes, you may leave. Return before midnight." He said, and walked out of the dojo.

Youko looked after him with a curious look. "So… is he like your original father used to be? And what about your mother?" He wondered. Houkou frowned. "I don't know, actually. My father died early on, and now my mother died early. She was human though, which makes it somewhat strange that I'm still half-demon, since Hiashi is also human." She muttered.

The fox half-demon blinked in confusion, before taking a hold of Houkou's hand and simply disappearing together with the dark-haired girl.

XXX

"Yo! Youko!" Kiba waved enthusiastically as the slightly taller boy entered the academy grounds. Youko blinked. "Hm? What's up, Kiba?" He wondered. Kiba looked pointedly at him. "It's survival training 'till tomorrow! This is going to be awesome!" He exclaimed.

Youko's grin was downright scary.

"Aa, I'm sure it'll be. Know anything about it?" He asked. Kiba shook his head. "Nah, but I think we might be parted into groups. Hope I get with you and Hinata!" He grinned. Youko smirked. "We'll see, right? But you shouldn't get your hopes up too much." He said, before he disappeared only to appear behind Kiba and pushing him forward before disappearing into the academy.

XXX

"You will be led out, then you will have to manage on your own. Shoot up a flare if you can't do it, and someone will come and get you." Iruka finished his explanation, and smiled at everyone's enthusiasm.

The brown-haired chunin started when Youko suddenly stood right beside him, and shook his head wearily. "You should really stop doing that, Naruto." He sighed.

After finding out that Naruto was related to one of Konoha's biggest heroes, he had tried to apologize for hating him and acting very formally, until the blue-eyed boy had blown up and told him to stop it – and to call him Youko.

So now, he had actually turned to some sort of older-brother-figure, strangely enough.

"The name's Youko, not that stupid ramen-name! Geez." Youko muttered. Iruka smirked. "It does mean maelstrom too, you know. Now go to your 'team' and make a plan for survival." He pushed the boy towards the stairs, and he pouted and went up to Houkou and Sasuke.

XXX

"So, Sasuke'll be in charge of making us a fire, and keeping it, Houkou is in charge of finding a good place to camp, and I'm in charge of watching out and making sure we have food." Youko nodded with a grin.

Sasuke nodded slowly. "What do we have with us, exactly?" He asked. Houkou tilted her head. "We have one tent, a tarpaulin, one pack with sleeping bags and fishing poles as well as a bow with three arrows, and three flares." She counted it up.

Youko nodded. "Okay, I can take the pack, as it is the heaviest thing. Houkou can take the tent, and Sasuke the tarpaulin. Sound okay?" He wondered. Both his temporary teammates nodded.

After a small while, the chunin began leading them out.

XXX

"Here! There is a slight cover underneath this cliff, and with our back against the mountain, no one can surprise us. There is also soft moss to lie on." Houkou pointed out, blazing white eyes scanning the surroundings through the furious rain.

It had started to rain only two hours ago, and they were already drenched. Sasuke was shivering, but neither Houkou nor Youko felt cold, so they gave him one of their jackets each.

Youko and Houkou hurriedly put up the tent, and Youko leapt up to fasten the tarpaulin over the tent, giving some more cover from the rain. "Sasuke, can you find some wood? It shouldn't be too hard, but just call and we'll come." Houkou said.

Sasuke nodded resolutely, even though his teeth were clattering somewhat. He quickly went into the trees, while Houkou set about hanging up some threads around the tent, to dry things on when they finally got a fire.

Youko finished fastening the tarpaulin, and looked up at it. It was quite large, and he had fastened it with a slight curve at the ends, not allowing rain to assemble in the middle. It reached about two meters out from the tent on all sides.

Sasuke came back with an armful of wood, and both the others helped putting it up with a ring of stones around. Then he did a few hand signs and blew a small fireball on the wood, igniting it at once.

In the trees some ways away, two chunin were watching the kids expertly set up camp. "Wow, they're pretty amazing for being 9 years old. And I'd say that's pretty good teamwork too, they gave the Uchiha their jackets because he was freezing and they weren't." The one on the left, with spiky dark hair said.

The other, with a brown lock of hair in front of half his face nodded. "All three of them seems to know how to set up camp very well, though Uzumaki and Hyuuga are more experienced than Uchiha." He mused.

"Huh, Uzumaki is moving out? I'll follow him."

XXX

While Youko left to hunt, Houkou began taking off her clothes, to Sasuke's surprise. "What are you doing?" He demanded. Houkou tilted her head. "Our clothes are soaked, and need to be dried. Besides, we're only 9, we're not that developed yet for modesty to be needed." She shrugged, and hung her t-shirt and pants over the thread she put up earlier.

Sasuke blushed slightly at seeing the dark-haired girl in only her panties and a sports bra, but she just snickered at him. "You should get your clothes dry too, Sasuke. You can leave your t-shirt on if it makes you feel better." She smirked.

The dark-haired boy nodded, and took off his clothes except for his boxers and t-shirt. A dark blush was still on his face, and Houkou shook with silent laughter. "Honestly, you humans are way too modest." She pointed out.

Sasuke huffed and sat down beside the fire, poking it with a stick. Not long after, Youko returned with three dead rabbits. He blinked at seeing their un-clothed states, and shrugged. He himself looked pretty much drowned.

"Hou-chan, why don't you prepare them? You're better than me, and I should probably get out of these clothes I too." He gave them to the half-demon girl who immediately set to skinning them.

Sasuke frowned interestedly. "Say, is it because you're half-demons that you don't react to the cold?" He wondered. Youko nodded while wrenching his t-shirt over his head. "Demons have much higher resistance to cold, heat, sickness and so on than humans. So we're pretty sturdy we too, though not as much as a full demon." He explained.

Houkou finished skinning the rabbits with her claws, and put all three of them over the fire. "Mm, it smells yummy. I haven't had a real meal like this in years!" She licked her lips. Sasuke and Youko snorted.

"How old are you guys anyway?" The Uchiha boy asked. Youko blinked and sat down beside the fire. "Well, I and Houkou were about 120, before we were reborn or whatever. We looked 16 at that point. You see, when a demon or half-demon reach 15, we'll stay like that a hundred years before looking like we've aged another year." He said.

Sasuke looked fascinated. "So you'll grow normally until you're 15?" He wondered. Houkou nodded as she prodded the rabbits. "That would be a problem if we were in a human settlement, if it weren't for Youko's illusions. He's a master illusionist. As expected by a demon fox." She chuckled.

"Is food ready yet? I'm dying of hunger here!" Youko exclaimed. Houkou silently handed him one of the rabbits, and he tore into it, causing Sasuke to look somewhat disturbed. Houkou snorted.

In the trees, the two chunin were talking. "He's really efficient at hunting, though he uses claws of all things. But he's not the Kyuubi. Maybe he's gotten them from the fox?" The spiky-haired one suggested. The other one frowned.

"Maybe. But that girl too, there's something about her. And I'm not talking about her lack of modesty." He snorted. The spiky-head laughed silently. "The Uchiha's got modesty instead, it seems! He's still blushing somewhat!" He cackled.

The one with hair in front of his eye chuckled too. "Yeah. But he's an Uchiha so it's to be expected. From the Hyuuga too, really, but she defies everything. It is smart though, to do as they've done to dry their clothes faster." He complimented.

"Yeah."

XXX

The next morning dawned with glittering sun, putting lights in every raindrop still hanging. Youko sat outside the tent with his now dry clothes on and a small fire where he was grilling fish.

Sasuke came out of the tent sleepily, rubbing his eyes and smiling when he smelled the fish. "Ah, you're already awake?" He wondered, looking at the half-demon. Youko smirked. "I've been awake for at least half an hour. I usually wake early. Here, eat and you'll get some energy. Your clothes are dry, by the way."

Sasuke blinked as he noticed that Youko was wearing his black, ripped pants and crimson t-shirt, and hurriedly went to clothe in his own black shirt and white shorts. The jackets were left hanging, as it was quite a pleasant temperature.

Houkou came out next, yawning. "Mm…gimme." She muttered, grabbing one fish and munching on it. Youko raised one eyebrow, but didn't say anything.

"So, today we're supposed to get back to the academy. First we'll have to pack, making it look like no one was here. So as soon as you two are done eating, let's get to it! …And Hou-chan, you should perhaps think about putting on your clothes too."

Houkou snorted. "Fine, fine." She agreed. Sasuke huffed with a small smile.

After eating, Houkou clothed in her dark blue pants and t-shirt, and they began packing up. Youko being the most agile jumped up to fix the tarpaulin, while Sasuke helped Houkou to pack the tent and remove the fire.

After 15 minutes, they were done. "Well, let's head out!" Youko grinned, and they began running, disappearing into the foliage.

XXX

Iruka was sitting in his classroom sipping tea while looking at some tests, when the door burst open and he was surprised to see Youko, Houkou and Sasuke.

"Hiya sensei! We're back!" Youko exclaimed, dumping the pack on the floor. Iruka blinked and looked at the time. "So early?" He wondered. Houkou shrugged. "Naruto wakes early, and he made food, so we didn't spend a lot of time on that, and packing was easy. Also, it was easy to find the way back with our noses." She explained.

Sasuke nodded. "Besides, flat grass, broken branches and other stuff like that is easy to see." He added. Iruka smiled. "Well, good job you three! You may go home now, but there's still school tomorrow." He warned.

The three of them had already disappeared out the door.

XXX

"So…you guys want to come over at my place? Mom wouldn't mind, I think she misses making food for more than just two." Sasuke said. Houkou shrugged. "Sure, Hiashi isn't expecting me before this evening." She agreed. Youko grinned. "I'm always free to come, especially if Mikoto's cooking!" He exclaimed.

Sasuke smirked. "Let's go then!" He said, and they dashed off towards the Uchiha compound.

XXX

"I see. Dismissed." The sandaime nodded to the two chunin who had been watching the temporary academy team compromised of Sasuke, Youko and Houkou.

The two of them bowed and disappeared in twin plumes of smoke. Sandaime thought about what they had reported, and the real purpose of the survival exercise.

Though many things could change in three years, the teachers had put together the students that seemed to be the best teams, to find out whether that would be a good set-up for when they finally became genin. Some of the set-ups were brilliant, while others went straight down.

Though the council was wary about placing the Uchiha heir together with Youko, sandaime knew of their friendship, and that Youko was the one who convinced the other boy not to go down the road of vengeance.

Placing the Hyuuga heir on the team also seemed like a bad move by the council, but then again, they didn't know that she and Youko was extremely protective and sibling-like over each other.

Of course, they could have put the Inuzuka heir in the group instead, but Iruka had felt it would misbalance the team's strength. And when Iruka Umino spoke, you listened. Though the usually soft-spoken and nice man seemed to fit being a chunin, he had once been one of Konoha's most dangerous ANBU.

Those who threatened what he protected, wasn't killed. They were obliterated.

In any case, sandaime was satisfied with the report on the team. They had acted like an experienced team, and it was somewhat funny to note the Uchiha heir's blushing at the Hyuuga heir's blatant non-modesty.

Now, he had something to read… Sandaime smiled impishly as he reached into a hidden drawer and pulled out an orange book.

XXX

Youko was grinning happily as he ducked under Sasuke's right hook and twisted around the other boy to kick Houkou away. The dog half-demon dodged by a hairsbreadth and proceeded to leap over Sasuke to kick the whiskered boy in the face.

Youko blinked out of view and appeared behind them both, flying through hand signs. "Fox illusion: Prison of nothing!" He declared, and the two others were caught in a bubble of air. Nothing could be seen, and there was in reality nothing there, but they were caught.

Sasuke pouted. "Oh, come on! Is this an illusion?" He demanded. Youko grinned and nodded. "Fox illusions are more real than the normal ones. Besides that, it is my imagination and your minds that are certain you are captured." He explained.

Houkou sniffed irritably. "No matter what I do, I always get caught in this! Fine, I admit it, you're better than both of us." She grumbled. Sasuke huffed and nodded mutely. Youko smirked. "Well, that wasn't so bad, was it? That only means you have to train more, to get to my level so we're just as good, all of us!" He exclaimed.

"Really now, how shall anyone of you get food if you're caught up out here?" Mikoto's gentle voice floated out as she stood in the doorway. Youko snapped his fingers, and both other 9-year olds were released and they all ran inside, yelling.

Mikoto chuckled.

XXX

**Now, this chapter might come off as something confusing, considering the fact that there are many things that haven't been told. But the gist is: **

**Itachi killed the Uchiha, except Sasuke and his mother.**

**Youko talked to Sasuke and talked him away from vengeance.**

**Sasuke has been told of Youko and Houkou's half-demon status.**

**And... that's pretty much it, I think. Of what's confusing, anyway. **

**Please review!**


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